Campaign For Real Ale

London Region

John Young Memorial Award

The 2017 Award went to Pauline Forster, the landlady of the Grade II listed George in Stepney. Pauline has fought a hard battle over nine years against the Swan Housing Association. They want to build six luxury flats next door, which would block the light to an upstairs studio. This is used for photo shoots but new residents are also likely to generate complaints about the late license and noise from the music, something the pub is well known for. Pauline has spent the last 14 years turning the pub into a heralded music venue. Music pubs have proved to be the heart of developing bands, who have then gone on to be household names. These pubs are a declining breed and are in much need of protection.

The campaign to save The Golden Lion in Camden was one of the longest fought by its now owner Dave Murphy, local people and CAMRA. Playing a part in that successful campaign was London Assembly Member, Tom Copley. In recognition of that and his contribution in trying to save London's pubs in general, he was awarded the CAMRA John Young Memorial Award for 2016. The ceremony appropriately took place at the Golden Lion.

The John Young Memorial Award 2014 was presented to John Keeling on Monday 8 December 2014. More details from a Fuller's Press Release can be found by clicking the previous link.

John Young was a truly iconic figure in the London and national brewing scene. It was he who kept Young's brewing cask beer when others all around him were converting to keg. Chairman of the brewery from 1962, he died of cancer aged 85 in the same week that Young's beers were brewed at Wandsworth for the last time. Beer from the last brew was served at his funeral on 29 September 2006. For more read this obituary from The Guardian

and this from The Independent by Beer Hunter and another great, Michael Jackson
The London Branches of CAMRA established an Award in his honour - The John Young Memorial Award. Its objectives are
● To celebrate the memory of John Young and his impact on real ale and pubs within London.
● To publicly acknowledge on an annual basis an individual or organisation that the London branches believe has done the most for real ale and/or pubs within the Greater London area.
● To raise the profile of CAMRA within Greater London and the activities of London branches.
The first Award went to CAMRA founder and long-time Public Affairs spokesman for Young's, Michael Hardman (2007).

http://beerjustice.blogspot.co.uk/2008_12_01_archive.html
Previous winners were
Founder of pub chain J D Wetherspoon, Tim Martin (2008)
The Editors of London Drinker magazine (2009)
Licensee, Binnie Walsh, whose pub The Harp went on to win CAMRA's National Pub of the Year competition (2010)
and in 2011, founders of Sambrook's brewery, Duncan Sambrook and David Welsh.